Heart-jab killing illegal in Calif.

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, January/February 2002:
 
SACRAMENTO–California attorney general Bill Lockyer and
deputy attorney general Gregory L. Gonot on January 2, 2002 wrote in
a joint opinion solicited by California senate president pro tempore
John Burton that, “It is a violation of the state’s animal cruelty
laws for an animal control officer or humane society officer to use
intercardiac administration of euthanasia on a conscious animal in an
animal shelter or humane society facility, if the animal may first
be rendered unconscious in a humane manner, or if, in light of all
the circumstances, the procedure is unjustifiable.”

Elaborated Lockyer and Gonot, “We include as officers the
employees of an animal control shelter or humane society who have
been trained in the administration of sodium phenobarbital for
purposes of euthanasia. Animal health emergencies or other exigent
circumstances are beyond the scope of this opinion. Also,
veterinarians may use their professional judgement in determining
when the use of this method of euthanasia on conscious animals is
necessary and justifiable. Our analysis does not apply to
veterinarians.”
ANIMAL PEOPLE found in a recent abstract of 65 controversies
involving shelters that do population control killing that allegedly
cruel euthanasia technique was involved in 30%, including 54% of
those in which someone was fired.